Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Friends Old and New

Hope. It seems like a small word, but it means everything. That hope needs to extend across the galaxy for those who are struggling to resist the Empire. Their influence, if you could even call it that, has expanded throughout the Outer Rim, and I'm learning that there are other cells in this growing movement that need our help. It's not just getting resources to those who need them, but also uncovering and exposing Imperial plans so we can act based on their moves. And today's mission is exactly that: prevent the intel from reaching Imperial hands and transport it off-world to another rebel HQ. Except it's not that simple. It never is.

I walked down the ramp of the Ghost and saw Hera handing out assignments to some of the other Phoenix Squadron members. "So what's the mission?" I asked her, overhearing that she was looking for people to do some work. "Actually, this one's for her," she replied, pointing behind me. I turned and saw Sabine, who was flanked by Ezra and Chopper. The Mandalorian stepped forward while elbowing Ezra, who yelped in pain and got a chuckle from Chopper. "There's a courier coming in who has secret information. I need you to pick him up and transport him to Havoc outpost," Hera explained. "Sounds easy enough," Sabine said. "If it was easy I'd send someone else. This information is important, and we have to get it through. Keep a low profile," the captain emphasized. "Don't worry, you can trust me. What's this courier look like?" Sabine asked. "I don't know, but they'll respond to this code phrase." Hera sent an encrypted message to Sabine's wrist gauntlets. A beep was heard, and then she departed to start her mission. "Hey, I can be low profile too," Ezra piped up, somehow outdoing my desperation to join her mission. It's kind of amusing watching him try to be convincing. "You can be...backup, along with Y/N and Chopper, but she is in charge. Understood?" the captain conceded. "Yes, captain," we said before taking off. "There's no way that actually worked," I said to Ezra. "What can I say? I'm just that good," he joked. We quickly caught up to Sabine and the Jedi wasted no time trying to talk to her.

"Leader huh? Always figured you for a loner," Ezra said. Perfect way to start, brother. "Not always," Sabine replied. "You sure make it seem that way," he continued. "You spend a lot of time in your room, alone. And uh, you actually tend to eat alone, sometimes. You combat practice alone. And go off probably to be alone. And uh, I don't know. I guess sometimes, you know, I'll find you alone. After I've, maybe, followed you, and-" "Ezra, stop," I said, laughing quietly. "What did I do?" he questioned. "Less is more. I don't disagree, but you gotta keep it simple," I answered. He obviously likes this girl. Who wouldn't? She's got a lot to offer. "How do you do it though? She responds to everything you say. Do you like her?" Ezra pressed. I caught a little defeat in his tone. "I guess me and her have a lot in common. But I've got bigger things to worry about than a girlfriend right now. Just don't come on as strong," I said reassuringly. He thinks I like her too, and he's right. But I know this would only be temporary for me. I can't obsess over it. Ezra nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer I gave him. Noticing Sabine wasn't with us, we stopped and turned around to see her looking at a graffiti mark. "Sabine! What is that?" Ezra called out. "It's nothing," she said curtly. We continued our walk until we got to Bay 22 and saw a shuttle land. Time to find our courier.

"So how do we find this courier?" Ezra asked. "The code phrase is: 'It's a long way to Alderaan,'" Sabine responded, giving us the information that Hera sent her. "I think it's this guy," I said, walking up to a Rodian. They never told us who the courier was, so anything was possible. "Hey. It's a looong way to Alderaan," I uttered the phrase. "Okay?" he replied, walking away. Sabine and Ezra then tag-teamed a human, but still no luck. Hours passed and an announcer stated the hangar had closed, crushing our spirits. Nobody had responded to the code phrase and we were unsure why we couldn't find our target. "It's gonna be a long way back to the Ghost if we miss the courier," Ezra said, sitting down on a crate. "We couldn't have. Hera had confirmation he boarded the shuttle," Sabine stated. "Are you sure you were saying the code phrase right?" "Yes, yes. It's a long way to Alderaan. Woah!" The crate moved, revealing itself as a gonk droid. "What's the matter with this thing?" Ezra exclaimed. "Wait a minute, that's the courier. Talk about a low profile," I said, impressed with how the intel was smuggled on board. "He came in with the cargo payload. Unit EG-86," Sabine confirmed. "I don't get why they'd hide such important information in this binary box brain," Ezra said. "Well, would you suspect that thing of being a spy full of secrets?" Sabine probed. "No, I guess not." "Well, that's too bad, because I would," a voice cut in from above us before jumping down to our level. "Ketsu Onyo," Sabine said through gritted teeth. Clearly, there was bad blood between them, and she presented a new complication. We'd have to get through her to ensure the courier stays in rebel hands.